Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides.
Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on
the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You will need to join the MOA before you can post: click this register link to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .Nine Flags over the Lone Star State

Most part of Texas have been under six governments:
Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate States, and the United States

Spanish 1519-1685, French 1685-1690, Spanish 1690-1821, Mexican 1821-1836, Republic of Texas 1836-1845, United States 1845-1861, Confederate States 1861-1865, United States 1865-present

Nine Flags
Goliad is one of the three oldest towns in Texas and is one of the few places to have been ruled by nine governments
Texas has approximately:
40,000 recorded archeological sites
11,500 historical markers
2,000 National Register of Historic Places
700 local history museums

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /Independence, Texas

Independence, Texas is a historic ghost town
complete with ruins, restored buildings
and over 30 points of historical interest Texas Independence Trail.com

Austin PBS TV cameraman interested in
Bluebonnets and Motorcycles

The Founding of Baylor U

A Baptist church was established in Independence, Texas (1839)
shortly thereafter (1846) Baylor University was founded.

The four impressive columns in Old Baylor Park
are the rebuilt columns of the female Department of the University building entrance

Originally Posted by womanridge

Jim, I think the picture of the two children in the field of bluebonnets is award winning. . .
Thanks for all the great reports.
Karen

Thank you Karen,
award winning. . . just travel photos on a point and shoot camera, and I was having a great time taking them which is all that matters to me. I think of the years and miles that I have traveled and the very few film photos taken and it makes my ride reports even more treasured to me.

Still to come . . . a ride with Henzilla on the Willow City Loop which is rated one of the top ten drives in Texas. Also riding the Angelina, Sabine, Davy Crockett, and Sam Houston National Forests "Piney Woods" of East Texas. I've got one interesting camping story that sure got Henzilla's wife Helen going. The James River and the (Linky) Colorado River crossings - so far what I have posted have just been creek crossings.

After riding East Texas, I traveled across Mid-Texas & Pan Handle on dirt. Speaking of the Pan-Handle of Texas, I think it is one of the most under rated parts of the country as I could go GS Adventure touring indefinitely with the cooperation of the weather Gods! I love the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere by myself. The Palo Duro Canyon Rocks! I also enjoyed a bit of Historic Texas Route 66 on my two day April return to Wisconsin.

This ride report is a long way from being done. It seems that posting a photo takes less than a minute, but when I Google some fact, let's say about a Texas town, I can spend hours reading about what I experienced in that area and what I missed. Then trying to write and re-write the story even more time consuming, especially for me.
My hat is off to the talented folks who can ride, then post their ride report that night from their laptops!

Jim

The Boots

With late winter sunrises, it gave me a bit of time to meet the locals at their breakfast spots. My routine was to pick a table close to the group breakfast table. Usually one of the locals would note my helmet and ask me where I was headed to.

Since I was only touring, with many times no particular destination, I would ask them where their favorite road was. That is how I found the swinging bridge and various other interesting rides.

Since was my hub for some of my dual sport riding, I started to get to know the town folk. One observation,

More interesting examples of the power of Google:More Texas HistoryTaken from Texas Treasures - Lasalle/Adams-On?°s Treaty of 1819
La Salle‘«÷s activities had far-reaching consequences for the future of Texas. Spain increased its own exploration of the Texas coast and advanced the timetable for its own occupation in order to stave off French claims. As for France, it continued to claim Texas, a claim that was transferred to the United States after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and remained a sore point until the boundaries were settled by treaty in 1819.

Jim, I think the picture of the two children in the field of bluebonnets is award winning. It reminds me of a black & white photo of my mother and her sister, taken in the sunken garden at Mitchell Park in Milwaukee, circa 1924. Thanks for all the great reports.
Karen

The exterior walls are built with "Muldoon Blue" sandstone
trimmed with red Pecos sandstone, Burnet granite, and Belton white limestone.

‘«£La Grange‘«ō
One of my favorite songs
by one of my favorite (Texan) Bands
not many lyrics but a great beat

. . .when the song was released it drew so much attention to the illegal activities going at the La Grange's Chicken Ranch that they had to cease operation...
. . . now that's some good Texas folklore

ZZ Top: ‘«£La Grange‘«ō Lyrics Rumour spreadin' a-'round
in that Texas town
'bout that shack outside La Grange
/ And you know what I'm talkin' about. / Just let me know if you wanna go
/ To that home out on the range

*************************************The Chicken Ranch at La Grange
Inspiration for Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

perhaps the oldest continuously running brothel in the nation

Institutionalized prostitution in La Grange can be traced back to 1844, when a widow, "Mrs. Swine," brought three young women from New Orleans
According to the Texas folklore,
there wasn‘«÷t much cash around during the Great Depression
so patrons would trade chickens for services rendered